Educational musical toys



June 1, 1965 F. H. T. SWENSSON EDUCATIONAL MUSICAL TOYS Filed Feb. 1,1963 United States Patent 3,186,286 EDUCATIONAL MUSICAL TOYS Follre HugoTorsten Swensson, lloras, Sweden Land, Angsiiarsgatan 6, Stockholm NASweden) Filed Feb. 1, 1963, Ser. No. 255,611 4 Claims. (Cl. 84-83) Theinvention refers to an educational musical toy, with which childrenlearn to read and understand notes without any difiieulties.

This result is obtained thereby that the children themselves build upmelodies by positioning after written note transcriptions plastic noteson a plastic slide having the appearance of a system of music signs.They are inspired to the work thereby that immediately upon havingpositioned the notes, they can have the melody played not only once butas many times as they like to. In this manner the children will soon befamiliar with the notes and they enjoy themselves while they learn.

Referring now to the drawing,

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line I-I in FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the toy.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of two note members and FIG. 4 is afragmentary plan view of the note carrying member being provided withnote members, consistingamelody.

In the drawing in, 1b, respectively designate each side wall of atone-giving unit having blowing pipes. It is however understood that theinvention is not limited to any specific kind of tonegiving units. Theside walls are mutually connected by means of a block 2, containing theblow pipe members 3 or melody plates, which are positioned in grooves insaid block. The one side of each melody plate communicates with anopening 4- and the other side with another opening 5, the latterconimunicat-ing in its turn with a hole 6 in which a seat 7 for thevalve 8 is securely fixed. The valve stem 9 projects through a bushing19 fixed to the outer end of the hole 6. A coil spring 1]., which isguided on a cylindrical portion 12 on the valve 8, urges to hold thevalve pressed against its seat. A cover 13 is fixed to the block bymeans of not shown screws, and has a circular flange 14 for thereception of abuse 15.

The valves are operated by actuating arms 16, being mounted around atransverse shaft 17. The arms are guided in slots 19 in a transverseguide member 13. In their upper end the actuating arms are provided withslots 20 for the purpose of adjusting each arm by inserting a screwdriver or the like in said slot to bend out the narrow portion adjacentthe valve stem 9.

The arms are normally held in the position shown in FIG. 1 Where thefinger 21 is positioned somewhat above the base plate of the notemembers 33, which will be described later on. It is desirable that eachvalve will open and the pipe sound exactly when the finger of itsactuating arm has reached a certain point and to achieve that theaforesaid adjusting might be undertaken. The tone-giving unit alsoincludes members for the advance-- ment of the note carrying member. Forthis purpose, a transverse shaft 22, journalled in the sides la, lb hasfixedly secured to itself two rollers 23, each having a frictional cover24 for example a rubber tube or hose. The shaft 22 projects outside thewall 1a and is fixedly connected to a gear 25, which gears with a pinion26, fixed to another transverse shaft 27, which also protrudes out or"the opposite side wall 1b and is provided with a collar 28, preventingaxial movements of the shaft. In its free end the shaft 27 is formed toa crank 29 (FIG. 2). The note carrying member or the slide 36 comprisesa base plate 31 having longitudinal flanges 32 prefer- "ice ably on bothsides. The slide is preferably extruded from plastic material.

The note members 33, which may be made from such plastic materials aspolyamide or polyvinyl chloride each comprise a base plate 34 (FIG. 3)having on its under side two grooves 35, which may cooperate with twoadjacent flanges 32 on the slide for detachably securing the note to theslide. On its over side each note member has a projection 36 which maybe colored black and on the base plate is designated staples 37 andflags, indicating the lengths of the note in question. The projectioncan appear intermediate the grooves 35 (left structure in FIG. 3) orabove one of them (right hand structure). The note members are alsoavailable in different lengths corresponding to different long notes 1 JJ, I 3 etc.

To use the toy, the child positions the plastic note members 33 on theslide 30 just in accordance with a note transcription. If a note willappear between two note lines, a note member corresponding to the lefthand structure in FIG. 3 is chosen and if the note is to appear on aline a note of the right hand structure is used. In note transcriptionsthe lengths of the notes are indicated by staples and flags incombination but the plastic notes in addition thereto indicate the exactproportions between the note lengths therein that the length of theprojections 36 are proportionate to the time which the actual tone willtune. See for example FIG. 3 where the right hand structure will soundtwice as long as the left hand note. Thus the child soon becomesfamiliar with the notes and understands them.

After having positioned the note members on the slide for example as inFIG. 4, the slide is guided in between the guides 38, 39 in the slidewalls 1a, 1b and the crank 29 is turned at the same time as the childblows in the hose 15. Now the projections of the note members willoperate their respective actuating arms and the same will then open thecorresponding valves 9, which will cause the melody plates to sound andgive the melody. In FIG. 2 the arm to the right is in operating positionwith its follower or finger upon the projection 36.

It is possible to have the crank 29 substituted by a motor, driving therollers and also the blowing may be made by motor for example by meansof a fan or the like.

Two melodies may be built up at the same time as the under side of theslide also has flanges 32 (FIG. 2).

A slide length of about 10-42 inches has been found sufiicient even forplaying rather long melodies.

The melody plates may be changed and it is therefore possible to playmelodies in fiat as well as in minor. The arrows in FIG. 1 show the airpassage when the valve is open.

What I claim is:

1. An educational musical toy, characterized therein that it comprisesin combination a tone-giving unit, having pipes, strings or the like,adapted to be selectively operated by means of tone operating levers, anote carrying member in the form of a slide, displaceable relative tosaid unit and having a series of mutually parallel flanges or grooves,constituting the note lines in a system of music, and note members, eachcomprising a base plate, having at its under side two spaced apartgrooves or flanges for co-operation with two adjacent flanges/ groovesof the note carrying member, and on its upper side a projection in formof a note, positioned either vertically above one of saidgrooves/flanges or intermediate the same and provided with indicationssuch as staples and flags showing the length of the note in question,the note members being adapted to be detachably connected to saidflanges or grooves in close relationship relative to each other and insuch a manner that the note forming projections may selectively controlthe tone operating levers of the tone-giving unit, when said notecarrying member is displaced relative to said tonegiving unit.

2. An educational musical toy as claimed in claim 1, characterizedtherein that the lengths of the projections are proportionate to thelength of the note indicated, i.e. the time the tone is to sound.

3. An educational musical toy as claimed in claim 1, characterizedtherein that the note carrying member is provided with fianges/ grooveson both sides.

4. An educational musical toy as claimed in claim 1, characterizedtherein that the flanges/grooves of the note carrying member, whichcorrespond to the main 15 note lines in a system of music are coloredblack to distinguish them from the secondary note lines having adifferent color.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS6/27 Germany. 9/ 37 Germany. 4/5 0 Norway.

LEO SMILOW, Primary Examiner.

1. AN EDUCATIONAL MUSICAL TOY, CHARACTERIZED THEREIN THAT IT COMPRISESIN COMBINATION A TONE-GIVING UNIT, HAVING PIPES, STRINGS OR THE LIKE,ADAPTED TO BE SELECTIVELY OPERATED BY MEANS OF TONE OPERATING LEVERS, ANOTE CARRYING MEMBER IN THE FORM OF A SLIDE, DISPLACEABLE RELATIVE TOSAID UNIT AND HAVING A SERIES OF NUTUALLY PARALLEL FLANGES OR GROOVES,CONSTITUTING THE NOTE LINES IN A SYSTEM OF MUSIC, AND NOTE MEMBERS, EACHCOMPRISING A BASE PLATE, HAVING AT ITS UNDER SIDE TWO SPACED APARTGROOVES OF FLANGES FOR CO-OPERATION WITH TWO ADJACENT FLANGES/ GROOVESOF THE NOTE CARRYING MEMBER, AND ON ITS UPPER SIDE A PROJECTION IN FORMOF A NOTE, POSITIONED EITHER VERTICALLY ABOVE ONE OF SAIDGROOVES/FLANGES OR INTERMEDIATE THE SAME AND PROVIDED WITH INDICATIONSSUCH AS STAPLES AND FLAGS SHOWING THE LENGTH OF THE NOTE IN QUESTION,THE NOTE MEMBERS BEING ADAPTED TO BE DETACHABLY CONNECTED TO SAIDFLANGES OR GROOVES IN CLOSE RELATIONSHIP RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER AND INSUCH A MANNER THAT THE NOTE FORMING PROJECTIONS MAY SELECTIVELY CONTROLTHE TONE OPERATING LEVERS OF THE TONE-GIVING UNIT, WHEN SAID NOTECARRYING MEMBERS IS DISPLACED RELATIVE TO SAID TONEGIVING UNIT.